BedTmes Magazine August 2010

Transcription

BedTimes
AUGUST 2010
THE BUSINESS JOURNAL FOR THE SLEEP PRODUCTS INDUSTRY
Mixing business
& politics
Putting advocacy to work for you
Product Watch:
Toppers taking off
Making Web 3.0
work for you
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Certify your Peace of Mind
Hickory Springs goes one step further for quality foam.
CertiPUR-US (CM)
approved foams are:
• Low emission (low VOCS).
• Made without ozone depleters.
• Produced without PBDEs.
• Made without mercury,
lead and heavy metal.
• Made without formaldehyde.
• Made without phthalates.
By complying with the CertiPUR-US (CM) voluntary testing, analysis and certification
program, Hickory Springs confirms the proactive measures taken to verify that
its flexible polyurethane foam not only provides durable comfort but is produced
in a responsible, consumer-friendly manner.
How will CertiPUR-US benefit your company?
• Focuses on current consumer concerns about foam involving health and indoor air quality.
• Provides comfort and confidence, reassuring consumers about the foam in your sofa.
• Provides a reference source website for your customer service staff. You don’t need an
in-house expert on health regulations and concerns.
• Demonstrates your commitment to a healthy home environment.
Based on a similar program in Europe, CertiPUR-US provides added value to furniture
manufacturers – and eventually consumers — offering peace of mind and answering
questions typically asked by consumers. Hickory Springs is one of several founding
members of the CertiPUR-US program, which was officially introduced in early 2009.
To switch to Hickory Springs’ certified CertiPUR-US foam, call 1.800.438.5341
or visit HickorySprings.com. Also see certipur.us.
PO Box 128, Hickory NC 28603
CertiPUR-US is a Certification Mark of Alliance for Flexible Polyurethane Foam, Inc.
©2009 Hickory Springs Mfg. Co.
AUGUST 2010
InSide
Feature
18 Getting involved in politics
With so much media attention focused on national politics, it’s easy to forget
that issues at the city, county and state level are often more important to business
owners. BedTimes shows you how to participate in local political systems to help
your company.
Departments
9 Product Watch
Mattress toppers are taking off as a
product category—with everyone
from traditional top-of-bed suppliers
to major mattress manufacturers
offering a variety of styles, compositions and price points.
27 Marketing Matters
Web 3.0 is all about sharing information in real time. Twitter is a great
example, but there are many other
real-time Web applications that you
can use to “push” information about
your company, products and services.
43 Sales Talk
41 Plant Management
44 Newsmakers
46 Up Close
48 Calendar
49 ISPA News/Advocacy
50 Advertisers Index
51 Classifieds
52 Last Word
Technologies like email can speed
communication and make our lives
easier, but sales professionals should
be wary of relying on them. Oldfashioned techniques like phone calls
and face-to-face meetings can’t be
replaced.
5 Editor’s Note
7 Front Matter
31 Industry News
www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
BedTimes | August 2010 |
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EDITOR IN CHIEF
Julie A. Palm
336-727-1889
jpalm@sleepproducts.org
SENIOR WRITER
Barbara Nelles
336-856-8973
bnelles@sleepproducts.org
CONTRIBUTORS
Pradeep Elankumaran
Nathan Jamail
David Naffis
Phillip M. Perry
Carl Potter
Deb Potter
Dorothy Whitcomb
ART DIRECTOR
Stephanie Belcher
336-201-7475
stephanie@jimmydog.com
Vice President of Sales
Kerri Bellias
336-945-0265
kbellias@sleepproducts.org
Ad Production &
CIRCULATION manager
Debbie Robbins
336-342-4217
drobbins@sleepproducts.org
COPY EDITOR
Margaret Talley-Seijn
BedTimes deadlines
Editorial deadlines for the Industry
News and Newsmakers sections
of the October issue of BedTimes are
Tuesday, Sept.1.
Volume 138 Number 8
BedTimes (ISSN 0893-5556) is published
monthly by the International Sleep Products
Association. Periodicals postage paid at
Alexandria, Va., and additional mailing offices.
Editorial and advertising offices
126 Parkview Lane, Reidsville, NC 27320
Phone 703-683-8371; Fax 703-683-4503
Administrative and ISPA offices
501 Wythe St., Alexandria, Va. 22314-1917
Phone 703-683-8371; Fax 703-683-4503
Postmaster Send address changes to
BedTimes, 501 Wythe St., Alexandria, Va.
22314-1917
Contents © 2010 by the
International Sleep Products
Association. Reprint permission
obtainable through BedTimes.
Editor’sNote
U.S. mattress sales
continue their rise
T
he mattress industry continues
its rebound, with both unit shipments and the wholesale dollar
value of those shipments growing by
double digits in the first five months
of the year.
According to the International
Sleep Products Association’s May
Bedding Barometer, unit shipments are
up 11% for the year and dollar values
are up 10.2%, when compared to the
same five-month period in 2009.
For the month of May alone, unit
shipments rose 10.4% and dollar
values increased 10%. In more good
news, manufacturers operating in all
regions of the United States reported
improved sales figures for both the
year-to-date period and May.
The industry remains cautiously
optimistic that these sales trends will
be sustained for the remainder of the
year.
As ISPA President Ryan Trainer
said in a news release about the latest
numbers: “We’re not out of the woods
yet. Unemployment remains high,
consumer confidence fell in June and
many consumers and businesses are
anxious about when and how quickly
the economy will improve. Our current mattress industry forecast, which
we issued in March, projects that mattress units and sales will increase in
2010 by 4.5% and 7.5%, respectively,
compared to 2009. As of May, we are
set to meet or exceed those forecasts,
but we still have more than half of the
year ahead of us.”
Fingers crossed.
Sleepy sermon
How do you define yourself? As a
mattress manufacturer? A marketer?
A production manager? What about
outside of work? Are you a father/
mother? Husband/wife? Community
leader? Hobbyist?
In a recent sermon, the Rev.
Charlie Davis, a Unitarian Universalist minister, asked his congregation
to consider the relationship between
their core ideals and how they spend
their time. As an example, Davis
reflected on his own life. In his role as
a minister, Davis is a preacher, pastor,
counselor, mediator, event planner,
reader, writer, etc.
“Those are the things I do for a
living,” he said. “They are not my life. I
enjoy doing them and am fortunate to
have a job that lets me do things I like.
But it is not my life.”
“When I think of what I do, I probably should define myself as a sleeper,”
he admitted. “I sleep about seven to nine
hours per day. I never take a day off.”
I like that. The next time you’re at a
party and someone asks you what you
do, try telling her, “I’m a sleeper.”
You may get an odd look or two, but
it might lead to an interesting conversation as you explain how your job allows
you to help others sleep well.
Plus, you know you’ll have something in common with the other
person: She’s guaranteed to be a
sleeper, too. BT
Julie A. Palm
5
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FrontMatter
Workers, employers agree: Jobs picture bleak
Surveys: Hiring to remain gradual
T
hey call it a “jobless recovery.”
The Great Recession may be
technically over, but unemployment continues to hover just under
10%.
Americans aren’t feeling optimistic about jobs and company hiring
forecasts don’t give them much to
pin their hopes on, according to two
new surveys.
In an economy driven by consumer spending, this is a worry. If
you’re jobless, employed but concerned about the security of your
job or sharing a household with
someone who’s jobless, you’re not
likely to go out and spend money on
anything but necessities.
Two-thirds of Americans say the
job market in their region is bad and
just one in 10 say the job market
in their region is good, according
to an online Harris Poll survey of
2,227 adults conducted in mid-June.
(One-quarter say the job market
in their region is neither good nor
bad.)
The majority of Americans don’t
expect the job market to change
much in the coming months. Just
over half say the employment picture in their region will remain the
same during the next six months
and one in five believe it will get
worse. About one-quarter expect it
to improve.
Those feelings are in line with
a new hiring forecast compiled by
CareerBuilder and USA Today. According to the nationwide survey of
employers conducted by Harris Interactive, hiring in the second half of
the year is expected to mirror that of
the first half. More than 2,500 hiring managers and human resource
professionals, as well as 4,400 workers across industries, were surveyed
from late May to early June.
“Employers began recruiting at a
moderate, but consistent pace in the
first half of 2010 as confidence levels
inched upward amid a better global
financial picture,” said Matt Ferguson, CareerBuilder chief executive
officer. “The economic recovery has
broadened, but employers remain
guarded. The survey indicates that
we’ll see sustainable new job growth
through the remainder of the year,
but it will be absent of any dramatic
shifts.”
About one-quarter (24%) of employers reported they increased their
full-time, permanent staff in the
second quarter. This is up from 18%
in the second quarter of 2009. About
one in 10 decreased their headcount,
an improvement from 17% last
year. About two-thirds reported no
change in their number of full-time,
permanent employees during the
second quarter.
In the third quarter of this year,
one in five employers plan to add to
their full-time, permanent headcount. Some 8% expect to downsize.
➤ Employment help
Are you hiring or looking for
work in the bedding industry?
Check out the International Sleep
Products Association’s Job Board
at www.sleepproducts.org. The
Job Board helps ISPA member
companies who have job openings connect with professionals
seeking employment at mattress manufacturers and industry
suppliers. You must be an ISPA
member company to post a job
opening. Any industry job seeker
may post a resume.
Two-thirds expect no change and
6% are undecided.
Employers who are hiring are
primarily focused on preserving
customers and fueling new revenue
opportunities. They’re recruiting for
the following areas first:
➤ Customer service (25% of
managers hiring in this area)
➤ Sales (22%)
➤ IT (18%)
➤ Administrative (13%)
➤ Business development (10%)
➤ Accounting/finance (10%)
Employers also are looking for
personnel to fill positions that are
relatively new to the work force.
About one-quarter reported they are
recruiting for jobs focused on areas
such as social media, “green” energy,
cyber security, global relations and
health care reform. BT
7
ProductWatch
Toppers piquing interest of mattress industry
Variety of offerings
increases as more
jump into category
Licensing deals Mattress makers such as
Therapedic International are putting their
names on toppers made by others to extend
their brand.
By Barbara Nelles
A
consumer searching for “mattress topper” at mega online
retailer Amazon.com will find
more than 2,000 results, a sign that the
product category has gone mainstream
in a big way.
The first toppers, appearing some
30 years ago, were a yellowish beige
egg-crate polyurethane foam. Today’s
typical topper is 1½ inches to 3 inches
of convoluted memory foam selling for
between $79 and $99 in queen size.
Sometimes called “removable pillowtops” or “mattress enhancers,” toppers
are being sold in department stores, at
big-box retailers and online. They’re
also cropping up on the floors of mattress specialty retailers, often first arriving atop high-end beds with optional,
removable pillow-tops.
In addition to visco-elastic and polyurethane foams, there are toppers made
of latex, natural or polyester fiber fill,
and down—or several of these materials layered together. Heights range from
1½ inches to 6 inches. There are zoned,
quilted, ventilated, perforated and convoluted toppers. Some are covered and
zippered with skirts or anchor bands.
Others are “free floating.” Fabrics on
more expensive toppers include cotton
sateen, stretchy knits and silk. The prici-
‘Pillow’ talk Latex
International offers its
Rejuvenite Pillows for the Body line
in two comfort choices.
est toppers often incorporate natural
fibers and fabrics with latex and have
suggested retail prices as high as $1,000
in queen.
Buying patterns
The topper business “caught fire” when
the economy took a hit, says Jeff Chilton, senior vice president of sales and
marketing for bedding soft goods supplier Perfect Fit Industries, which has
headquarters in Charlotte, N.C. “You
can get a really nice $150 to $200 topper
and improve your sleep.”
Growing interest means that product
lines are multiplying rapidly, with
everyone from traditional top-of-bed
Topper technologies Natura World makes
21 styles, including toppers with wool,
latex, memory foam and
combinations of those components.
suppliers to major mattress manufacturers jumping into the category.
Simmons, Serta, Sealy and other
first- and second-tier mattress manufacturers are licensing their names to
suppliers of foam toppers. These viscoelastic and polyurethane foam pads are
sold online, as well as at major retailers,
big boxes and department stores.
“Consumers have three primary
reasons for buying toppers: to refresh
or rejuvenate at relatively low cost a
mattress that is beginning to show
the effects of wear, to correct a comfort mistake on a new bed purchase
without having to exchange the entire
product or to outfit the slab of springs
in a college dorm room,” says Gerry
Borreggine, president of Therapedic
International. The Princeton, N.J.-based
licensing group lends its brand name to
a line of memory foam, latex and downalternative toppers.
“This category is especially important to consumers age 38 to 55,” says
Dan Schecter, vice president of sales
and marketing at Richmond, Va.-based
Carpenter Co., an industry supplier that
manufactures a broad range of foam
toppers. “This group of consumers is
the most interested in improving their
comfort.”
“As a culture, we’ve become so discerning. We want the ability to customize without a huge price tag. Toppers
offer customization within reach,” says
Julia Rosien, director of communications for Natura World. “Your comfort
9
ProductWatch
Topping the toppers Pure LatexBliss’
removable pillow-tops are upholstered in
high-end stretch knit.
needs change as you age. They can
also change on a daily basis—if you’re
stressed at work, did a lot of exercising that day or sat at the computer too
long.” The Cambridge, Ontario-based
mattress maker offers a variety of topper
styles.
“From high school students to senior
citizens, consumers are out shopping,
looking, feeling, squeezing,” says Nancy
Heaton Lonstein, marketing director for industry supplier and topper
manufacturer Jeffco Fibres in Webster,
Mass. “Their purchasing decisions are
sophisticated. They see toppers as a way
Tackling the topic of toppers
For an industry invested in getting consumers to purchase new mattresses, the subject
of toppers can be a bit sensitive. Don’t toppers take away from mattress sales?
Though they might be big sellers at big-box retailers or department stores, are
specialty mattress retailers willing to give toppers floor space?
“I tell retailers people are buying these anyway. You need to get in the game or
they’ll shop elsewhere,” says Kevin Stein, vice president of marketing and research
and development at Shelton, Conn.-based Latex International. “Don’t look at toppers as a Band-Aid to a bed. Instead, add a $399 topper to a $699 bed purchase
and have a beautiful $1,100 bed that is highly profitable to the retailer.”
“Show the pillow-top (topper) every time a customer purchases a firmer
bed,” says Kurt Ling, chief executive officer of Atlanta-based mattress maker
Pure LatexBLISS. “Let the customer know ‘You can come back to buy this if you
decide the bed is too firm.’ One in five times, the customer buys the pillow-top
outright.”
“Toppers are a great way to sell the nine out of 10 shoppers who walk out of
your store without making a mattress purchase,” says Michael Rothbard, president and chief executive officer of Sleep Studio, a New York-based manufacturer
of foam toppers, pillows and mattresses.
Sleep Studio’s recent consumer survey found that 65% of the more than
2,000 respondents were “unhappy with the comfort and support” of their mattress, but just 5% said they would consider buying a new one. Some 60% said
they “would more readily buy” a mattress topper, Rothbard says.
“Toppers don’t take away from mattress sales, they enhance them,” Stein says.
“There are cool ways to incorporate them into the comfort process. Many shoppers start on a firm bed because they are looking for more support. Retailers can
say they are going to add some pressure relief and then put a topper on the same
bed. Customers love a sales process that gives them some sense of control.”
Aside from using toppers for comfort adjustments after a sale, “smart retail
sales associates will up-sell toppers to begin with,” says Julia Rosien, director of
communications for Natura World, a mattress and sleep accessories producer in
Cambridge, Ontario.
“You are letting customers know you’re thinking about their long-term enjoyment of the product,” Rosien says. “Be intuitive. Watch when a couple tries out
a mattress. See how they respond and interact. Are their needs different? Show
them how to tweak the bed with a topper so it works for both of them.”
10 | BedTimes | August 2010
to customize the bed and change their
preferences.”
Many mattress pads straddle a fine
line between topper and protector. A
new offering from sleep accessories
supplier CKI Solutions is the Sleep Defender Quilted Mattress Pad. Available
in both 3-inch and 6-inch thicknesses, is
it a “pad” or “topper”?
“It’s really plump and filled with
polyester cluster fiber,” says Chris
Montross, director of sales and
marketing for the company, which is
based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. “We’ve
carried mattress protection products
for over 10 years now, but our retail
and hospitality customers were telling
us they wanted something to make the
bed more luxurious.”
New takes on foam
“This category is open to significant
growth,” Schecter says. “Today’s consumer is very savvy, and as new foam
technologies become available—as the
chemistry continues to advance—she
will continue to buy into that.”
High-end memory foam toppers are made with technologically
advanced foams with higher densities
that are sometimes layered with other
components.
Jeffco Fibres’ Cradlesoft Memory
Foam Topper comes in two densities
and has thicknesses up to 4 inches. The
company’s Cradlesoft Memory Cloud
Mattress Topper has visco-elastic and
down-alternative polyester fiber encased
in a quilted cotton cover.
Natura World makes 21 topper
styles, including the Soy Snuggletop
Memory Foam Topper, which has virgin
wool piled atop an upholstered viscoelastic core with renewable content.
The Therapedic Memory Touch
Mattress Topper contains 3 inches of
ViscoTech foam covered in a removable,
100% cotton fabric with temperatureregulating Outlast technology. The
memory foam is described as being
“temperature sensitive” and having antimicrobial properties.
Depending on the foam used, toppers can offer pressure-point relief, as
ProductWatch
Law of attraction
Premium mattress toppers studded with magnets are
Baron Styles’ biggest sellers, says Dave Williams, president of the Milton, Wis.-based
topper manufacturer and contract quilting
and sewing operation.
Introduced in 1998, the magnet toppers
have fiber fill and visco-elastic or convoluted
polyurethane foam studded with 300 to 1,000
magnets. Targeted channels include health
Mattress magnetism Some Baron
and wellness retailers, online retailers and
other distributors who market the toppers as a Styles toppers include magnets
between layers of fiber fill and foam.
pain reducer or health enhancer.
To date, evidence of the toppers’ therapeutic value is anecdotal, but a
clinical study is currently under way in France, Williams says.
Baron Styles’ other offerings include quilted damask toppers filled with
layers of fiber, polyurethane and visco-elastic foams.
well as support, Schecter says.
“There are three classifications of
foams in our premium toppers: viscoelastic for cushioning; Omalon—a proprietary support foam; and self-adjusting Avena—a hybrid foam with both
cushioning and support,” he explains.
Carpenter manufactures a range of
foam toppers for a number of distribution channels. Some carry its trademarked “Sleep Better” seal. Its flagship
topper brand is Isotonic.
“A moderate topper price point
would be an uncovered 2-inch convoluted Omalon or visco-elastic topper
packaged in a zip bag,” Schecter says. At
the company’s upper end is the Isotonic
Platinum, a zoned topper introduced
this spring. It’s ventilated with “active air technology” and has gel inserts
for additional support and comfort.
Carpenter’s high-end toppers are up to
4 inches thick and have IsoCool fabric
covers with phase-change material for
temperature regulation.
Foam producer FXI, with headquarters in Media, Pa., manufactures
and distributes Aerus Natural memory
foam toppers and produces them for
various private labels. Aerus Natural is a
breathable, open-cell visco-elastic with a
percentage of renewable content.
The most popular FXI topper foams
weigh 3 pounds to 4 pounds per square
foot, although interest in 6-pound toppers is growing. There also are specific,
limited applications for the company’s
8-pound and 10-pound toppers, says
Alvaro Vaselli, FXI senior vice president
for foam products business management. In addition, he says, most FXI
toppers have patented Surface Modification Technology.
“It’s a proprietary engineered surface
that improves pressure distribution,” he
says.
Hickory at Home, a division of Hickory Springs Mfg. Co. in Hickory, N.C.,
sells the Viness line of memory foam
toppers in three thicknesses and a collection of upholstered Dunlop-process
latex toppers made by gommagomma
S.p.A., in Caronno Pertusella, Italy.
Foam bed maker Tempur-Pedic
manufactures a 1-inch thick “mattress
pad” made with its Tempur Material
and sells it through catalogs and online.
It’s marketed as “a great way to upgrade
your guest room.” The Lexington, Ky.based company also offers a collegedorm topper at its company Web site.
Latex International, a Talalay latex
producer headquartered in Shelton,
Conn., targets mattress retailers with
its Rejuvenite Pillows for the Body line.
The toppers are 3 inches thick, covered
in super-stretch knit ticking and come
in two comfort levels, plush and firm.
For easier testing on the sales floor,
Pillows for the Body come in split
queens.
Pure LatexBLISS, a latex mattress
manufacturer headquartered in Atlanta,
began by pairing “outboarded” latex
toppers with its latex mattresses and
soon found that the topper business
“had taken on a life of its own,” says
Kurt Ling, Pure LatexBLISS chief executive officer.
The company’s 2-inch and 3-inch
removable pillow-tops are available in
plush or firm and are upholstered in
high-end stretch knit.
“The fabric totally determines
the product’s value in the customer’s
eyes,” Ling says.
In response to a resurging interest in
latex bedding, Jeffco Fibres introduced
its Evereden brand of latex toppers in
2007, Lonstein says. They come in four
thicknesses, from 1 inch to 4 inches. The
company also manufactures a broad
range of private-label and branded
fiber-fill, visco-elastic and polyurethane
toppers that retail for between $15 and
$350 in queen sizes.
Sleep Studio, a New York-based
manufacturer of foam toppers, pillows
and mattresses, surveyed more than
2,000 consumers earlier this year and
found that nearly one in five wants
a topper to add support—not just
pressure-point relief—to their existing
mattress, says Michael Rothbard, Sleep
Studio president and chief executive
officer. To meet both needs, the company offers ViscoFresh Latex Memory
Foam, a high-density visco and latex
hybrid foam with perforations and air
channels. Green tea extracts provide a
natural fragrance.
Sleep Studio’s products are sold under a variety of private labels at various
retailers, as well as under the company’s
own SleepJoy brand.
Perfect Fit manufactures and sources
a broad range of toppers, pads, comforters, pillows and other soft goods that
it sells through a range of distribution
channels. One of its more unusual
offerings is the OOdles Blend Latex
Topper. OOdles, first introduced in
ProductWatch
2009 in pillows, is a shredded
latex produced by foam supplier Latexco. Perfect Fit mixes
OOdles with “blown puffball”
polyester fiber to create the
topper core.
‘Natural’ ingredients
Hickory at Home introduced
two featherbeds in 2010, one
with imported European goose
down and one with domestic
goose down.
Manufacturers of wool toppers say
the fiber gets a bad rap for being itchy
and hot. Instead, they say, it’s an ideal
component because of its cushioning,
temperature-regulating and moisturewicking properties.
“Wool does a great job of solving
the problems of two people in one bed
with different temperature and comfort
Topper, layer or wrap wool over
a latex core.
High-end mattress maker
Organic Mattresses Inc., based
in Yuba City, Calif., makes four
mattress toppers in thicknesses
of 1 ½ inches to 4 inches. Two
toppers have convoluted latex
cores; two have Eco-Wool fill.
“Our toppers are paired
with mattresses and sold that
way by retailers, but some of
our retailers do just buy our
pillow-tops,” says Walt Bader, OMI
president and chief executive officer.
“Pillow-tops make sense especially
when accommodating more than one
sleeper, because couples may have
different comfort preferences. The
pillow-top can add more comfort and
‘ahhhs’ to a bed, without changing the
underlying support.” BT
Core issues Organic
Mattresses Inc. uses
latex cores or
Eco-Wool fill in its
toppers.
needs,” Rosien says. “If you’ve chosen a
mattress that does not have wool in it,
you can add wool with a topper.”
The Classic Super Comfort Plus
Topper from Natura World contains
36 ounces of crimped virgin wool per
square yard and has a 100% unbleached
woven cotton cover. Many of company’s
offerings, including the Mattress Mate
Pillows for the Body
Enhance any mattress on your floor and
reduce comfort returns with luxurious
and resilient Talalay latex toppers.
With over two million units sold in 2009, mattress toppers are an important and growing
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&
Practicing
the Art of
Advocacy
Get involved at the local level to help your business
W
By Phillip M. Perry
ith so much media attention
focused on national politics, it’s
easy to forget a fundamental
fact: Day in and day out, your
business is more likely to be affected by laws
and regulations passed closer to home.
“Issues at the city and state level are often
more important to business owners than issues at the federal level,” says Nancy Ploeger,
president of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce.
That makes sense. Think about local tax
rates, commerce fees, zoning ordinances and
other business regulations.
What about poorly maintained streets,
filled with potholes and ruts? Bad roads
can damage your fleet and, if you’re a
factory-direct, keep customers away
from your stores. Slow police response
times can magnify the financial costs of
a burglary. Building code changes can
add costs to retrofit buildings. And so
on and so on.
The success of your business depends
on the priorities and the capabilities of
your city, county and state officials.
“What government does and how they
regulate is important to your business,”
says Al Arnold, director of the Academy
of Local Politics in Rice Lake, Wis. “It’s
your bread and butter. ”
‘These politicians are looking
for ways to help constituents.
They don’t know how to do
that if you don’t speak up.’
19
Working close to home
If decisions made by your local
politicians can have a dramatic impact on your profits, it’s important
to know how you can affect those
decisions.
“Start by learning how your local
government operates,” Arnold says.
“Politics is a game. In order to be
successful in any game you need to
know the rules.”
Arnold advises attending at least
one local government meeting
each year to “watch, listen and, by
observation, learn” how your local
governments work.
“One meeting won’t make anyone
an expert, but over the years, you
How ISPA helps you
The International Sleep Products Association speaks with a united voice
for the mattress industry on issues that affect manufacturers, suppliers
and retailers. In conjunction with ISPA’s board and with input from ISPA
members, the Government Relations Committee develops industry positions on regulatory, legislative and political issues.
The grassroots support of its members is critical to ISPA’s advocacy
efforts and ISPA encourages its members to develop relationships with
their representatives to influence legislation that affects the industry.
To help members communicate more easily with elected officials,
ISPA has created a Legislative Action Center that contains information
on pending legislation and provides practical advice for contacting
elected officials. ISPA members also can look up their legislators, view
biographical and contact info and send them a letter. ISPA’s monthly
Advocacy Connection and weekly BedTimes Bulletin newsletters keep
members informed about ISPA’s advocacy efforts.
ISPA uses its relationships with federal and state regulatory agencies,
other industry and trade groups, and the safety and scientific communities to give members tools to address other matters that arise, such as
consumer safety issues.
For more information about ISPA’s advocacy efforts, check
www.sleepproducts.org/advocacy or contact Chris Hudgins,
ISPA vice president of government relations, at 703-683-8371 or
chudgins@sleepproducts.org.
ISPA’s successes and ongoing efforts this past year at the state and
local levels include:
➤ Removed provisions from New York bedbug legislation that would
have required retailers to use separate vehicles to deliver new and
pick up used mattresses from consumers. (See story on Page 49)
➤ Defeated legislation in California that would have imposed more
costly and potentially impractical regulations on FR mattress materials
➤ Defeated proposals to change state and local fire codes to require
mattress manufacturing, storage and retail facilities to be retrofitted
with sprinklers
➤ Opposing New York legislation to allow the state to impose its own
rules regulating chemicals used in children’s mattresses, which might
be different from or contradict federal chemical regulations
➤ Advocating for tougher anti-renovator laws in New York, Florida and
Texas
➤ Continuing efforts to develop mattress recycling programs to preempt state efforts to make manufacturers responsible for taking back
used mattresses
will become more knowledgeable
about your local officials and how
they work,” he says.
Specifically, learn how your local
governments develop their annual
budgets.
“A city budget is not just a financial document,” Arnold says. “It is a
policy document.” Where tax money
is being spent—or not spent—gives
a clear indication about the priorities of your city council, county
commission and state legislature.
“It does no good to complain
about something that needs to be
done if the money is not in the budget,” Arnold says.
Indeed, policy decisions other
than the tax rate can have of a bottom-line impact on your business.
“Saving a couple of bucks in taxes
can cause your business to burn to
the ground if fire protection is inadequate,” Arnold says.
All politics is personal
Networking is a powerful tool for
influencing local laws.
“All politics is personal,” says
Nancy Bocskor, a political consultant in Arlington, Va. “Even in our
modern world of email, getting
things done still comes down to
with whom you have a relationship.”
In developing relationships, make
the telephone your friend.
“Call your local politicians at the
city, county and state level and meet
with them,” Ploeger says. “These
politicians are looking for ways to
help constituents. They don’t know
how to do that if you don’t speak
up.” If you stay quiet, your elected
officials may well vote in ways that
unintentionally harm your business.
And don’t wait until you have a
pressing concern to meet with your
local representatives, Ploeger adds.
“Your politicians will often have
issues that they are grappling with
and they need to talk with business
people about the effects of certain
regulations,” she says.
Developing a relationship takes
more than making phone calls and
attending meetings. Consider hosting a fundraising event.
“Help a politician raise money by
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Primer: How to talk with a local politician
“Meeting with an official once or twice a year should be part of every
management plan,” says Sean W. Hadley, an attorney and lobbyist in
Princeton, N.J. Like any other networking event, a meeting with a politician can pay dividends to your business.
Here are some tips for being effective:
➤ Be straight-forward Approach your representative with words such as
these: “I have a business in your district (ward, county, etc.). I want
to come in and introduce myself and talk with you.” Tell them how
many workers you employ.
➤ Speak up early Be professional and voice your opinion as soon as you
find out about an issue that concerns you. It can take a long time to
solve problems such as a deteriorating street condition. Start early
and be patient. “If you don’t call your officials, your voice will not
be heard and you run the risk of laws imposed on you without your
knowing,” Hadley says. “It’s easier to stop the train from leaving the
station than it is when it’s racing down the tracks.”
➤ Be cordial “Local elected officials do appreciate timely, courteous
input on issues,” Hadley says. “However, all too often the input they
receive is neither timely nor courteous.” Don’t make threats such as
“I won’t vote for you if you won’t do this.” Don’t say “I pay your salary.” Confrontations of this nature backfire.
➤ Show thanks If you’re pleased with your representative’s vote on an
issue, send a letter or email or give her call to express your appreciation. “It is so very seldom they get one of those. It will be remembered,” Hadley says.
➤ Stay in problem-solving mode “Know exactly what you are asking
for,” Hadley says. “Simply whining to an elected official about something usually won’t get the problem solved. Have a solution ready.”
➤ Invite officials to visit Ask your local officials to tour your facility and
meet your employees. “Especially if you have a significant number of
employees, politicians are happy to appear at an event,” Hadley says.
➤ Contribute “In politics, money does talk,” Hadley says. “It does not
buy you results but it can help facilitate a relationship.” If a politician approaches
you about attending a fundraiser
on his behalf, it
can be well worth
it to attend and
contribute. Later,
when you have a
concern, you have
a go-to politician
you can call for
assistance.
having a coffee in your home,” Bocskor says. “Offer to invite your friends,
neighbors and colleagues over to
listen to the candidate.” Inviting a
policymaker to tour your facility
gives you an opportunity to explain
the issues facing your business.
Stay informed
New issues come up all the time
and many of them can affect your
business operations. Don’t rely on
the local paper or TV news to learn
about them.
“Newspapers normally report on
what has happened, not what might
happen,” Arnold says. “There is only
one way to keep on top of proposed
local government issues and that is
by following committee agendas.”
Learn which committees are
likely to deal with business issues
and then find out when and where
meeting agendas are posted.
“Many times they are on the
town Web site,” Arnold says. “Make
a point of following these agendas
on a regular basis. This is the only
way to catch issues before votes are
taken.”
Make sure you offer your input
early. Will a proposed bill or regulation have unanticipated consequences? Call and let politicians
know.
“Issues are like rolling snowballs,”
says Arnold. “They get bigger and
bigger with time. It’s easier to destroy a hand-size snowball than it is
the base of Frosty the Snowman.”
On the state level, often the best
way to follow issues is to belong to
an organization that does this for
you. For instance, the International
Sleep Products Association tracks
and responds to state legislation that
can impact bedding manufacturers, industry suppliers and mattress
retailers.
The power of numbers
In addition to keeping you informed, business groups such as
chambers of commerce and trade
associations such as ISPA can help
you communicate your message to
local officials.
Group action can be a powerful force for getting things done,
Ploeger says. She gives a recent
example: Working together, chambers of commerce in New York state
convinced the governor to reduce
workers’ compensation insurance
rates by some 10%.
As another example, ISPA
recently had success working with
New York lawmakers to make
changes to a proposed bedbug bill
that would have raised delivery costs
for mattress retailers. (See story on
Page 49.)
Get involved with ISPA’s Govwww.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
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ernment Relations Committee or
volunteer to serve on a local business association committee that is
responsible for developing positions
on political issues.
The pay off
Effective lobbying is a process. Don’t
expect your representatives to agree
with you all the time. They won’t.
But over time, if you regularly participate in small ways by attending
meetings and voicing your opinions,
you can have influence when a significant issue arises. They’ll also seek
your advice when considering issues
that may affect your business.
“You have to be a citizen activist,” Bocskor says. “When you are
not involved, it’s amazing how fast
laws are passed that have unintended
consequences.”
Don’t let that happen. Reach out
to your local politicians and you will
end up with a more productive business environment.
“I get so angry when people say
they are too busy,” says Arnold. “You
can’t be too busy to not follow what
government is doing to regulate your
business.” BT
Additional resources
News media
Advocacy Connection This is a monthly e-newsletter about federal, state and
local issues affecting the mattress industry produced by the International Sleep
Products Association for its members. It includes reports on legislation and
regulatory actions and provides information about the industry’s position on and
advocacy efforts regarding major issues. Legislative updates also are regularly
included in ISPA’s weekly e-newsletter, BedTimes Bulletin. Learn more at
www.sleepproducts.org.
BedTimes. The monthly business journal for the sleep products industry regularly
reports on legislative issues. Check the Industry News, ISPA Advocacy, Flammability Update and Regulatory Report departments. BedTimes is available by
mail (see subscription card between Pages 46-47) and online at
www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes.
Books
Moving Mountains and Molehills: Local Politics 101 by Al Arnold (Booksurge,
2005)
Local Politics: A Practical Guide to Governing at the Grassroots by Terry Christensen (M.E. Sharpe, 2006)
Web sites
www.sleepproducts.org ISPA’s Web site, where you can learn about legislation
and regulations that directly impact your business. ISPA’s Action Alerts make it
easy for you to contact elected officials about key issues.
http://capwiz.com/sleepproducts/home ISPA’s Legislative Action Center, which
includes a “grassroots toolbox” for how to communicate with policymakers and
a how-to guide for hosting a plant tour.
www.localpolitics101.com The Academy of Local Politics’ site explains how to
get legislation passed at the local level.
www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/pslocal.html The University of Michigan Documents Center provides Web links to associations of local officials.
Local politics & your profits
How can local politics affect your company’s bottom
line? Here are some examples from Al Arnold, director
of the Academy of Local Politics in Rice Lake, Wis.:
➤ Taxes and fees Are your taxes competitive with those
of other cities and states? Are there any looming tax increases that will cut into your profits? Are governments
proposing onerous business licenses or other fees?
➤ Fire protection Does your local government budget
adequately for fire protection? What is your city’s rating from the Insurance Services Office? “Your cost of
property insurance can be affected by your city’s ISO
rating,” Arnold says. “It’s a very good indicator of the
importance a city council puts on public protection.”
For information about ISO, check www.iso.com.
➤ Police protection Will the police respond quickly to
reports of burglary or robbery? “Police are taken for
granted until you need them,” Arnold says. “But you
should concern yourself with average response times
before you need to call.” If your fire department’s ISO
rating is very low, there is a good probability that the
police department also is being shortchanged in the
city’s budget, Arnold adds.
➤Street conditions How well maintained are your local
streets? Can delivery trucks safely get in and out with
their materials? Can customers get to your location
without problems? If you live in area where it snows,
are streets plowed in a timely manner so employees
can get to work?
➤ School quality Are your local schools up to standard? What about your local community college? Is it
training workers with the skills your company needs?
There are other local issues that the mattress industry, in particular, should monitor. They include:
➤ Waste disposal & mattress renovation Is your local
government banning mattresses from landfills? Are
elected officials considering implementing or raising
a fee for mattress disposal? What are your state laws
concerning mattress renovation? Are there new plans
for cracking down on unscrupulous renovators?
➤ Bedbugs Is your area suffering from an increase in
bedbug infestations? Are local governments considering ordinances to address the problem that could impose impractical restrictions and unreasonable costs on
your business, such as restricting how used mattresses
can be transported?
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MarketingMatters
Now is the time to use real-time Web
New applications
can power many
aspects of business
changes made by others immediately
and working concurrently. Think of it as
the Web on steroids.
With RTW, access to information is
faster, meaning consumers, customers,
co-workers and others can communicate with you, learn from you and work
with you more quickly and efficiently
than in the past. The time period between you posting something and others seeing it is mere seconds or minutes,
rather than hours, days or weeks.
By David Naffis & Pradeep Elankumaran
T
he Internet has certainly changed
the business world. And just when
you thought the Web was as good
as it could get, it evolves again.
Until quite recently, the Internet was
primarily for sharing information. As a
business, you put up a Web page, posted
product details and uploaded some
images. Then you waited for people to
search for your company and eventually
find you.
The newest Internet advancements,
however, focus more on collaboration.
Often referred to as “real-time Web” or
“Web 3.0,” these technologies enable
you to “push” your message to people
who are interested in your information,
products or services.
So, if a person is interested in what
you have to say—and she has specified
those parameters of interest in her Web
settings—then whenever you put out
new information, it’s automatically sent
to that person. There’s no searching
involved.
Using RTW internally enables you
to collaborate with co-workers—for
instance, editing documents together,
at the same time, regardless of where
everyone is physically located. As tasks
are completed or projects are pushed
through to the next phase, you know it
immediately, rather than having to wait
for an email update or having to physically check on something’s status. And
you can get the information on your
desktop, laptop, phone or other mobile
device. No matter where you are, you
can stay informed.
RTW is changing the architecture
of the Web and how Web sites interact
with each other. It promotes the trusted
exchange of user data and tighter integration among Web applications over
multiple devices. It also is changing how
we interact with applications, share and
use information and collaborate.
Unfortunately, many people don’t
understand RTW, its capabilities and its
opportunities. In fact, we’re just starting
to see the first versions of applications
like Twitter and FriendFeed that focus
on consumer-oriented RTW. So when
companies hear about RTW, they’re not
clear about what it is, how it could apply
to their business and how they can take
advantage of it.
Whether you’re just now hearing
about Web 3.0 or are using some fledgling applications, the following suggestions will help you understand and
integrate RTW into your company.
Educate yourself
Web 3.0 is all about sharing information in real time. For example, Web 2.0
technology included document collaboration in the form of Wikis. As we
mentioned, RTW document collaboration involves many people editing and
updating a document at once, seeing the
Check out leading RTW applications
Examples of RTW applications
include FriendFeed, Present.ly and
Drop.io. If you want to see RTW in
action, a good place to start is Twitter.
In fact, Twitter is generally considered
the first application to offer real-time
search capability.
Consider how an Internet search
typically has worked. A search engine
like Google goes out and regularly
indexes the entire Web. When you use
it to search for a new mattress, you
type in “mattress” and Google displays
the results. However, those results are
not always up to date. They are only as
current as Google’s last index of that
phrase, which could have been days
earlier.
With Twitter, you can find information as it is happening. This has
been demonstrated during recent
disasters, political protests and other
major events. People go to Twitter to
find out what’s going on right now.
Brainstorm
Your company could gain a lot by
being on the leading edge of this
movement toward real-time information sharing—or you could sit
on the sidelines and wait for your
competitors to jump in and benefit.
Following are some ways to use
RTW:
27
MarketingMatters
Examples of RTW applications include
FriendFeed, Present.ly and Drop.io.
If you want to see RTW in action, a
good place to start is Twitter.
move forward, we’ll see new technologies and uses being developed and
created. More and more people and
companies are gravitating toward
RTW to power the next generation of
the Internet. By all accounts, it’s an
exciting time to be online. BT
➤ You can respond to customer
complaints or inquiries. In fact, some
companies have employees dedicated to
monitoring Twitter to identify disgruntled customers and to rectify the situation immediately, before any damage is
done to the company’s reputation.
David Naffis is a senior partner and
co-founder of Intridea. Pradeep Elankumaran is director of research and
development. Intridea is a full-service
Web and mobile consulting firm that
helps companies with design, development and strategy. Intridea provides
simple, intuitive solutions on everything
from social and business collaboration
to cloud computing to Web and mobile
applications. Clients include Fortune
500 companies, small businesses, nonprofit organizations and government
agencies. For more information, check
www.intridea.com.
➤ If you’re a factory-direct, you can
send coupon codes to people for sleep
accessories—and make the coupon available for a limited time, say
six hours. Think of the famous TV
infomercial line, “Call in the next 10
minutes and you’ll also get…”
➤ You can use some RTW tools, such as
microblogging, to stay up to date in real
time within your own company.
➤ You can build a brand on Twitter and
use RTW to promote your company.
Promote special sales, charity events,
new product introductions, etc. There
are endless marketing opportunities
using RTW.
Get in on it early
The bottom line is that those companies taking advantage of RTW are
reaping the benefits right now. As we
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IndustryNews
Sealy sales continue climb in second quarter
M
attress major Sealy with headquarters in Archdale, N.C., has
announced results from its 2010 fiscal
second quarter. Net sales rose 6.1%,
compared to the same period a year ago,
to $316.5 million. It was the company’s
third consecutive quarter of year-overyear sales growth.
Net income was $0.8 million—
income was $7 million excluding debt
redemption charges and payment-inkind interest—compared to a loss of
$5.4 million in the prior-year quarter.
Gross profit for the second quarter was
$128.2 million, a 5.2% increase over the
same period in 2009. Operating income,
which included an incremental charge
of $3.9 million relating to noncash compensation, was $24.7 million, compared
to $28.9 million last year.
Sealy’s gross margin declined by 35
basis points to 40.5% from secondquarter 2009, driven by changes in
product mix and investments associated
with new product introductions, the
company said.
“We are pleased with our results,”
said Larry Rogers, Sealy president and
chief executive officer. “We delivered our
third consecutive quarter of year-overyear sales growth. Stearns & Foster continues to perform extremely well and
we expect new products to drive future
market-share gains in both innerspring
and the fast-growing specialty sector.
We also continue to focus on further
deleveraging our balance sheet.”
Total U.S. net sales increased 3%
to $229.1 million from the second
quarter of fiscal 2009. U.S. gross profit
Latex International opening plant in Malaysia
Industry supplier Latex International,
which has headquarters in
Shelton, Conn., has begun construction of a 251,000-squarefoot latex manufacturing plant
in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
The facility will operate as
a subsidiary of Latex International under the name Dunlop
Latex Foam (Malaysia) Sdn.
Bhd. It will produce both Dunlop process and Talalay latex,
including 100% natural latex.
Malaysian move U.S.-based Latex International
It’s scheduled to open summer has broken ground on a new plant in Johor Bahru,
Malaysia. It’s expected to be operational next year.
2011.
“This is a major step in our
company’s expansion,” said Kevin Coleman, Latex International president
and chief executive officer. “We are building a worldwide infrastructure to
support our growth. Sales to markets outside the U.S. have grown to over
25% of total revenue. We have established a presence in South America,
Europe and Asia. This plant is necessary to better serve the latex production and delivery needs of these customers.”
The location was chosen for its “attractive foreign direct investment
program,” as well as its proximity to raw materials, transportation infrastructure and skilled work force, the company said.
margin decreased 176 basis points
to 41.6%. The decrease was driven
primarily by changes in product mix
and investments made to introduce
new products, the company said.
Improvements in operations efficiencies, as well as higher absorption of
fixed costs as a result of higher unit
volumes, partially offset the decline.
International net sales increased
$11.4 million to $87.4 million, or
15%, over 2009. Excluding the effects
of currency fluctuation, international net sales increased 5.9% from
the second quarter of last year. The
company attributed the growth to the
success of the new Stearns & Foster
line in Canada, better execution of
promotions and an increase in retail
demand.
Short
Sleep Country aids children
Sleep Country USA, a sleep shop
chain headquartered in Seattle,
collected
more than
5,000
pairs of
shoes in
its fifth annual shoe drive for
foster children. Donations were
up 32% over 2009. “For children
who have very little, the joy of
getting something new is immeasurable—even an item that
many of us take for granted like
a new pair of shoes,” said Julie
Guay, executive director of Blue
Skies for Children in Bellingham,
Wash. The retailer’s Foster Kids
Program provides support to foster children and their families in
Oregon and Washington by sponsoring drives for clothing, school
supplies and holiday gifts.
31
IndustryNews
Sleepinc purchases Englander licensee World Sleep
Sleepinc, a mattress manufacturer headquartered in Corsicana,
Texas, has purchased Englander licensee World Sleep
Products in North Billerica, Mass. Sleepinc is a sister
company of Corsicana Bedding.
“Without going into details, we’re structuring the deal
as a merger with a long-term exit for the current owners—or they may never exit. The entire staff also remains
in place,” said Sleepinc owner Carroll Moran. “World
Sleep saw the need to join hands with somebody operating on a more national basis that could bring consistency
and buying power.”
Chuck Warshaver, the former principal owner of
World Sleep, retains his post as president of the company.
Sleepinc manufactures bedding under the Sleepinc
NVC Logistics
launches new site
N
VC Logistics Group has redesigned
its Web site (www.nvclogistics.com),
adding additional information and
improving the user experience.
The logistics and transportation
services company with headquarters
in Rockleigh,
N.J., said the
changes were
prompted by its
growth in the
furniture, mattress, appliance
and consumer
electronics sectors.
“We revamped and updated the
entire NVC site with enhanced functionality, easier navigation and added
depth,” said Paul Henrici, NVC president. “Clients, prospects and partners
will now have access to more information about all of NVC’s transportation,
delivery and warehousing solutions.”
The Web update is part of the
company’s other recent growth and
upgrade efforts, which include expanded services, improved nationwide
coverage and ongoing technology
upgrades.
brand. It became a Spring Air licensee for Texas in 2009
and purchased a Therapedic licensee in 2008.
“We have a Therapedic licensee, a Spring Air licensee and now Englander,” Moran says. “We want to
buy strong regional players and it doesn’t matter what
brand they are.”
“Doing this type of consolidation is what will allow
independents like us to thrive and survive,” Warshaver
said. “We have become part of a larger company and
that will lead to continued growth, benefiting both our
customers and our employees. Carroll and Sleepinc
have employed a strategy of seeking strong licensees
around the country. It’s a brilliant plan. It means better
efficiencies—better rates on trucking, on insurance, on
IT—all the backroom things, plus purchasing power.”
Simmons adds mobile shopping app
Simmons Bedding Co. is employing
Microsoft’s Quick Response Tag
technology to launch a smart
phone application for mattress
shoppers. The goal is to provide
consumers with a more robust,
interactive shopping experience,
the Atlanta-based mattress maker
said.
Scanning a particular bed’s
color-coded tag with a smart
phone will yield a 3-D illustration
of the mattress’ construction and
the opportunity to view a video
that features the brand’s signature
bowling ball demonstration. The
first tags are located on point-ofpurchase materials for the Beautyrest brand. Twitter and Facebook
buttons enable the shopper to
share the content with friends.
“More than 20% of cell phone
users have a smart phone and that
number is growing,” said Tim
Oakhill, Simmons executive vice president of marketing. “Anyone who
can take a picture with a phone can use a QR tag. It’s an exciting technology that will help change the retail landscape of the mattress industry by
enhancing our communications with consumers as they shop.”
The free download is available at http://gettag.mobi and at Apple’s
iPhone App Store, www.apple.com/iphone/apps-for-iphone.
Natura World adds
zones, dual-comfort
N
atura World, a mattress and sleep accessories manufacturer with headquarters in Cambridge, Ontario,
has made changes to its NaturaLatex and NaturaPedic
collections, adding targeted support zones to select
models at the shoulder, hip and lower leg areas. Natura
World also is offering dual-comfort versions of its most
popular mattresses. The beds are firm on one side and
plush on the other.
“Adequate comfort and support is a critical component to healthy sleep—for both individuals sharing
a sleep environment. Natura’s dual-surface mattresses
ensure that there is no compromise necessary for a great
night’s rest,” said Ralph Rossdeutscher, Natura World
president and chief executive officer.
The collections also sport a “fresh, new look,” as well
as additional natural and organic content, the company
said.
Short
Cargill, Serta find messiest morning hairdo
Tiffany Bradley of
Knoxville, Tenn., was
crowned top “bed
head” in a light-hearted
contest sponsored by
Cargill and Serta. Voters chose five finalists’
photos from among
those submitted to the
“Bed Head is Soy Stylish” contest Web site.
A panel of judges from
the companies selected the winner. The contest promoted
Hoffman Estates, Ill.-based Serta’s new HGTV Green Home
by Serta collection. The products include foams made with
a portion of soy-based content from Cargill’s BiOH polyols.
Bradley received a top-of-the-line HGTV Green Home by
Serta queen-size mattress set.
33
IndustryNews
Shorts
Bodet rolls out breathable border
Bodet & Horst, a textile supplier
headquartered in Elterlein, Germany,
has unveiled a new collection of
mattress border fabrics that create a
built-in “climate zone,” allowing for
air circulation and moisture control.
The new fabric replaces the practice
of sewing a separate strip into the
mattress border, reducing the number
of seams in a bed and improving
mattress quality and durability, the
company said. The new border
fabric also reduces manufacturing
steps and saves on sewing machine
costs.
Interwoven relocates sales office
Mattress ticking supplier Interwoven
Group LLC has moved its sales office
to company headquarters in Conover,
N.C. The company also has expanded
the size of its Conover distribution
center to accommodate increased
business volume. The new phone
number for Interwoven sales is
828-322-1057; the fax number is
866-628-1652. The mailing address is P.O. Box 219, 309
Simpson St. S.W., Conover, NC
28613. Sandy Van Dyke,
Interwoven president, can be
contacted via email at
svandyke@interwovengroup.com.
Kluft expands operations
Premium mattress maker E.S.
Kluft & Co. has leased 30,000
square feet of manufacturing
space across the street from its
existing 127,000-square-foot
facility in Rancho Cucamonga,
Calif. The new plant is producing
mattress foundations, including an eight-way, hand-tied box
spring. “My company is growing
at an impressive rate and our
current plant reached capacity,”
said Earl Kluft, president and
chief executive officer. “We are
readying ourselves for doubledigit growth.”
Anatomic Global ‘Vendor of Year’
Mattress manufacturer Anatomic
Global, with headquarters in
Corona, Calif., was named Vendor of the Year by retailer Relax
The Back. The company supplies
the retail chain with two lines
of private-label memory foam
mattresses. Anatomic Global was
chosen for the award by franchise
owners of 110 Relax The Back
stores. In May, the company
received e-tailer Overstock.com’s
Vendor of the Year award.
QUALITY BEDFRAME LUMBER MANUFACTURER
Giving you
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• 100% of our production is bedframe lumber.
• You deal closely with the producer.
• Our many fiber suppliers allow us to
guarantee your lumber supply without a glitch.
They also enable us to choose the best price
on raw materials.
• Our quality-control methods allow us to offer
consistent thickness, width and length,
along with a standard radius end.
• Our mill manager and quality controllers total
over 50 years of experience in bedframe
lumber manufacturing.
• Reliable just-in-time delivery.
Bois Le Roux Inc. Tel: 819-877-2092 • Toll Free from USA: 888-877-2098 • E-Mail: blr@blrlumber.com • www.blrlumber.com
IndustryNews
Agencies release TDI study results
T
he federal Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry and
the N.C. Department of Health and
Human Services have concluded that
health problems of people located
near polyurethane foam plants in
North Carolina are not caused by exposure to toluene diisocyanate or TDI,
a chemical consumed in manufacturing flexible polyurethane foam used in
mattresses and other products.
“We did not find a scientific connection between respiratory problems
and exposure to TDI. Overall, we did
not find that people living near the
plants that emit TDI have recent or
current exposure to TDI at levels of
health concern,” according to a study
released by the federal agency and the
N.C. health department.
Researchers collected air samples to
determine the presence of TDI from
10 N.C. communities in four counties.
Half were near facilities with reported
TDI emissions (target areas); half
were communities farther away from
TDI plants. They also took blood
samples from 161 people who lived
in target areas and 190 who lived in
comparison areas. Target areas included communities near plants operated
by Carpenter Co., Foamex (now FXI),
Hickory Springs Mfg. Co., Olympic
Products and Prestige Fabricators.
Of the 251 persons tested, only one
had TDI antibodies. The Polyurethane
Foam Association cautions, however,
that antibody tests can produce false
positives. Further, the presence of
antibodies doesn’t necessarily indicate that an individual’s health has
been harmed or tell when, if any, TDI
exposure occurred or the source of
the exposure.
Of the 45 air samples taken from
target areas and 34 from comparison
areas, researchers detected TDI in only
one sample from a target area, and
even then at a level of only 1 part per
trillion. According to the report, 1 ppt
is “a very small amount of TDI” and
is below the lifetime exposure level of
10 ppt that the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency considers safe.
The full report can be found at
http://www.epi.state.nc.us/epi/oee/
tdi/tdicommunityhealthreport.pdf.
Take a Moment to Relax During
the Busy Las Vegas Market
Visit the ISPA Oasis Lounge!
The International Sleep Products Association extends an invitation to members to
stop by space B910 to relax in the privacy of our special lounge.
Whether you are exhibiting or attending, take a moment to get away from
market hustle and bustle.
Whatever your need, we’ll do our best to assist!
▪ Take some time off your feet to relax
▪ Meet with a colleague in a casual, inviting atmosphere
▪ Grab a cup of coffee or a light refreshment
▪ Check your email or the latest sports scores
Drop off your business
card for a chance to win
a free registration to the
2011 ISPA Industry Conference
and Exhibition!
March 16-18, 2011
St. Petersburg, FL
501 Wythe Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone 703-683-8371
Fax 703-683-4503
www.sleepproducts.org
IndustryNews
Fabrictech rebrands premium products
U
sing the new name
PureCare, mattress
and pillow protection
producer Fabrictech
International has
rebranded, repackaged and created new
point-of-purchase materials for its premium
anti-bacterial silver
lineup.
According to the
Cedar Grove, N.J.based company, these
products kill bacteria on contact and
provide protection
against bedbugs, dust
mites, allergens and
moisture.
Key messaging revolves around
making the bedroom “a
healthier place to sleep
and allowing consumers to ‘take back their
bedroom’,” said Jeff
Bergman, Fabrictech
president and chief
operating officer. “Our
products not only
guarantee the manufacturer’s warranty,
they create the cleanest
surface for the sleeper
while not altering the
comfort of the new
mattress and pillow.”
In addition to the
rebranding, Fabrictech
said it is focusing on
providing dealers with in-depth sales
training for selling sleep accessories.
Short
Magniflex targets designers
Mattress maker Magniflex,
which has headquarters in
Prato, Italy, announced that 100
designers have enrolled in its
new Interior Designer Affiliate
Program, which gives the design
community and its affiliated retailers special pricing on the full
range of Magniflex eco-friendly
mattresses. Designers and retailers receive wholesale pricing
for three months, followed
by a 30% discount thereafter.
Participants in the contiguous
United States receive five-day
delivery directly to their client’s
home for a flat rate of $45 for a
queen-size mattress.
Demand Foam unveils foam cutter
A
tlanta-based
Demand Foam
Systems, an Atlantabased supplier of foam
shaping equipment, is
offering an Americanmade CNC machine for
cutting flexible foam.
Other than the
welded steel frame, all
the working mechanical
parts are “off-the-shelf ” American-made Demand Foam Systems emphasizes that, other
from several U.S.-based than the frame, all the parts in its new machine come from U.S.based companies.
companies, according
to Demand Foam. The electronics, controller, computer and software are openly
available and upgradable so there are “no long down times while parts are shipped
in from around world,” the company said. User-friendly software allows easy set
up for parts arrangement, cutting, order position and nesting interfaces.
“This is the only blade machine we know of that allows the customer to be
independent from the manufacturer for repairs and upgrades” said Craig Barnaby,
Demand Foam vice president of sales.
Short
L&P helps Haiti project
Leggett & Platt’s Consumer
Products Group has joined the
cause for long-term Haitian
earthquake relief by making
a donation to the WorldBed
project, an initiative organized
by Corona, Calif.-based mattress maker Anatomic Global.
WorldBed’s mission is to deliver
200,000 3-inch, compressed
and rolled cot-size foam mattresses to Haitians displaced by
the January earthquake. L&P’s
initial donation funded one
pallet of 50 WorldBeds. The
Carthage, Mo.-based company
plans future contributions.
Pacific Spring Inc.
An American company
importing springs
from Cambodia
6.5” H 312 Bonnel units
7” H 336 Bonnel units
8” H pocket units
Pacific Spring Inc.
Victor Nguyen, VP of Marketing & Sales
6418 E. Washington Blvd.
Commerce Ca. 90040
Tel: (626) 272-8882 • Fax: (626) 226-4166
Email: pacificspring@ymail.com
39
Play It Safe
Attach the SPSC Safety Hangtag to
every mattress you produce
Although all mattresses made in or imported
into the United States must comply with Part
1633 and Part 1632, they are not fireproof.
Attaching an SPSC safety hangtag to your
mattresses helps protect against product liability
and is a responsible and visible way to
demonstrate your company's commitment to
product safety. Nearly 220 million mattresses
have carried the Sleep Products Safety Council's
safety hangtags during the past 20 years.
Hangtag sales also support SPSC's work as a
watchdog for the industry--educating consumers
about sleep product safety, building alliances
within the safety community, and conducting
product research.
Choose the safety hangtag option that’s right for you.
The safety hangtags are available three ways:
• as a flat hangtag to insert with product-related literature provided to the consumer, or attached,
• as a permanent, sewn-in Tyvek® label, or
• as a bi-lingual English/French tag for use in Canada.
Add your name to SPSC’s e-mailing list.
We’ll send you more information and an order form.
Contact Jane Oseth at joseth@sleepproducts.org, (703) 683-8371, ext 1124.
The hangtags provide your customers with valuable information on how to safeguard their
families. Using the hangtag offers no legal guarantees, but its consumer safety messages can be
helpful to both mattress manufacturers and retailers in defending product liability lawsuits.
SPSC: Watchdog for Safe Sleep
The SPSC is the safety arm of ISPA whose mission is to provide consumer
information, support research and promote activities that advance
the safety of sleep products.
For more information,visit www.safesleep.org
INTERNATIONAL
SLEEP
PRODUCTS
ASSOCIATION
PlantManagement
Busting myths about workplace safety
Preventing
accidents isn’t
impossible
By Carl Potter & Deb Potter
H
ow many times have you heard
someone say something completely ridiculous, something
you know isn’t right? You don’t have
to look very far these days to encounter fabrications and exaggerations.
With everyone having his say on blogs,
YouTube, Twitter and even national TV
news, you probably hear things several
times a day that you don’t agree with or
that you know aren’t true.
We’ve been hearing myths about
workplace safety for years. We took an
informal poll recently and here are our
top three safety myths. You’ve probably
heard them or something similar a time
or two in your career.
Myth 1 You can’t create a hazardfree workplace It’s shocking how
many people believe that hazards can’t
be eliminated in the workplace. We had
one person tell us that it isn’t possible
to have a hazard-free workplace. If that
is what’s required, he might as well lock
the front door to the manufacturing
plant where he is the safety director.
Certainly situations change—
sometimes quickly and sometimes over
time. That can make it difficult, but
certainly not impossible, to identify and
control hazards. It requires discipline
and diligence to recognize and mitigate
every hazard.
When you understand what it takes
to create an injury-free workplace,
you’re able to reach that goal more often
than not. Hazards are the reason people
get hurt—without the hazard there is
no injury. When workers fail to follow
safety procedures or wear personal
protective equipment, the risk of injury
rises. A hazard-free workplace is created
by actively identifying and evaluating
risks and applying controls to physically
protect employees.
Myth 2 Being safe is too timeconsuming and expensive When
people say that it takes too much time
or money to be safe, they obviously
don’t understand the power of a cost/
benefit analysis. Have you considered
the direct and indirect costs of even a
minor injury?
If you think that being safe takes
too much time and money, you have
an attitude problem. In our work, we
regularly meet individuals who have
been injured. By their own admission,
the cost of recovery and lost wages
is substantial. Among other things, a
personal injury impacts the productivity of the company, the morale of other
workers and the earning power of the
injured individual.
Myth 3 Accidents “just happen” Our
research shows that some 99% of all
accidents are preventable. If you think
that accidents “just happen,” what
allows you to drive on the road or
walk down the street without paralyzing fear of the potential hazards? The
reality is that you have a great deal of
control over situations and circumstances around you.
Safety is an action word. To make
something safe requires you to do
something. That something is to recognize what can cause an injury and
then take steps to control it.
Employees want a leader who will
encourage them to work more safely.
They want a leader who says, “I don’t
want you to get hurt producing or
distributing our product and I am
willing to work with you to make sure
that everyone stays safe.”
Creating a workplace with zeroinjuries is not a gimmick. To create
such a workplace, the company
needs leadership—at all levels.
Will you take action to engage
and challenge the people you
work with? Or are you just talking about safety? BT
Carl Potter, a certified safety
professional, and Deb Potter
are certified management
consultants who work with
organizations that want
to create an environment where nobody gets
hurt. As advocates of
a zero-injury workplace, they are speakers,
authors and consultants
to industry. For
information about
their Hazard
Recognition
and Control
Workshop, call
800-259-6209
or check www.
hazardrecognitionworkshop.com.
When people say that it takes too
much time or money to be safe, they
obviously don’t understand the
power of a cost/benefit analysis.
41
SUPPLIERS:
Reach key mattress industry buyers in the only directory
compiled specifically for the mattress industry!
ISPA’s online BedTimes Supplies Guide provides mattress industry professionals around the world with comprehensive
information about industry-specific products and services. Users can search by keyword or category to find the products
they need without the irrelevant clutter of general internet search engines.
The Supplies Guide will also be published in the December 2010 issue of BedTimes magazine. Companies that purchase a
complete listing by September 17th will also receive a free listing in the print version.
Complement your listing with a display ad in the December issue of BedTimes, insertion deadline October 25th. Contact Kerri
Bellias at kbellias@sleepproducts.org or 336-945-0265.
Contact Matt Kreuter, 972-402-7744, mkreuter@multiview.com, for more information
ISPA: 703-683-8371 · www.sleepproducts.org
SalesTalk
To make a sale, you have to make the call
Social media, technology can’t replace prospecting basics
By Nathan Jamail
G
rab your BlackBerry and
check your appointments.
While you’re at it, see if any
of your customers have posted
anything worthwhile on Facebook,
Tweet a new prospect, check your
email for appointment requests—
and then go grab lunch. What a
morning.
Sales professionals increasingly
rely on technology to drive sales
and increase market share. Unfortunately, those efforts may have the
opposite effect.
Finding vertical markets, making
prospecting calls and conducting
face-to-face meetings with prospective customers still
are the best ways to
increase sales—period. All of the technology in the world can’t
close more deals than
getting in front of the
decision maker, so
put away those email
marketing techniques,
PDF sales pitches
and automated voicemail calling
systems.
Talking to decision makers is no
more difficult today than it was 20
years ago. We just have different obstacles to overcome: The gatekeeper
is voicemail and a delete button
instead of a receptionist with a pink
message pad. Email systems with
junk-mail filters have replaced the
handwritten letter and the “circular
file.” Prospective customers have
always been “too busy” or “perfectly
happy” with their current products
and services to meet with you.
What should you be doing?
First, make the call. What do
great emails, logo-emblazoned gifts,
catchy tag lines and direct-mail
marketing campaigns have in common? Every salesperson hopes one
of those will be the thing that gets
prospective customers to call him.
But often those methods are just
an excuse for a salesperson to avoid
making a prospecting call.
No matter what marketing idea
you use to attract prospective customers, you still must make the call—if
not initially then as a follow-up. If you
are going to use marketing tools like
those mentioned above, use them only
as part of your sales plan. You can’t let
technology do the work and wait for
customers to make contact.
A word about social media: Social
media is powerful, inexpensive and
can improve your company’s visibility,
spread the word about new products,
etc. Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn
are great social media tools, but they
alone will not increase a company’s
sales.
Your social media efforts should
work in conjunction with a marketing plan based on network marketing,
cold calling, vertical marketing and
other key direct-contact prospecting
strategies. Prospecting makes use of
the original “social network.”
If increasing sales was only about
coming up with some creative way
to get customers to call, companies
wouldn’t need professional salespeople—or their salaries
and commissions.
If you want to
increase sales, use the
technologies of today
along with the disciplines and principles of
yesterday. It’s been said
a million times but it’s
still true: Increasing
sales is simple, but not
easy. Make the call! BT
If increasing sales was only about
coming up with some creative way
to get customers to call, companies
wouldn’t need professional salespeople.
Nathan Jamail, president of the Jamail
Development Group and author of The
Sales Leaders Playbook, is a motivational speaker, entrepreneur and
corporate coach. As a former executive director for Sprint and owner of
several small businesses, Jamail travels
the country helping individuals and
organizations achieve maximum success. His clients include the U.S. Army
Reserves, Nationwide Insurance, Metro
PCS, State Farm Insurance, Century
21, Jackson National Insurance Co.
and ThyssenKrupp Elevators. For more
information, call 972-377-0030
or check www.nathanjamail.com.
43
NewsMakers
Simmons names Fazio CEO
Atlanta-based Simmons Bedding Co. has named mattress
industry veteran Gary Fazio chief executive officer. He
takes the company’s helm from President and Chief
Operating Officer Steve Fendrich, who is leaving the
company.
“I am thrilled to be joining Simmons at a time when
the company is enhancing its strong brand and product
portfolio, as well as continuing to build on its long history of developing high-quality and innovative products,”
Fazio said. “Our opportunities are broad, and I look
forward to joining the leadership team of such a distinguished company.”
Fazio has nearly 40 years of experience in the industry, on both the manufacturing and retail sides. From
1981 to 2001, he held various positions at Sealy, eventu-
ally becoming vice president and general manager.
From 2001 to 2010, Fazio served as CEO of retail
chain Mattress Firm and had been its chairman since
February. Mattress Firm has some 560 stores in 22 states
and is No. 15 on Furniture/Today’s Top 100 list of furniture and bedding retailers.
In a news release, Simmons thanked Fendrich for
“five years of dedicated leadership and service to Simmons and guiding the company successfully through its
restructuring.” Fendrich joined Simmons in 2005 and was
promoted to president and COO in 2008.
Simmons, which emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this year, was acquired in January by
the investment group that owns National Bedding Corp.,
the largest producer of Serta-brand mattresses.
Sealy hires new
Retail exec joins
marketing director Comfort Solutions
J
amie Piper has joined Archdale,
N.C.-based mattress major Sealy
as director of marketing communications.
Piper is responsible for directing
the overall marketing and strategic
planning programs for the entire
Sealy brand portfolio. She also
Jamie Piper
manages Sealy’s corporate communications. Piper reports to Jodi Allen, senior vice president and chief marketing officer.
“Jamie has the diverse experience and proven track
record required to not only lead Sealy’s marketing communications efforts, but also to excel,” Allen said. “Jamie’s
product launch expertise, marketing background, as well
as her brand messaging and negotiation skills, make her
the perfect fit.”
Piper spent three years at Whirlpool Corp., most
recently as senior sales and marketing manager of all
cooking and refrigeration business for the Home Depot
account. Piper’s background also includes sales and marketing experience in the retail and automotive segments.
Piper replaces Margo Borgione, who has been named
to a newly created position, director of retail experience
for all Sealy brands.
Mattress licensing group Comfort Solutions has named Mike Bookbinder
senior vice president of retail sales
development, a newly created post.
Bookbinder is responsible for
current and new accounts and
implementing strategic growth
plans in the retail sales arena. He
reports to David Binke, executive
vice president of sales for the Willowbrook, Ill.-based company.
Mike Bookbinder
Previously, Bookbinder was
executive vice president of sales and marketing for
Sleepy’s, a chain based in Hicksville, N.Y. During his
11-year tenure with the retailer, Sleepy’s grew from
171 locations to more than 700. Prior to that, he spent
27 years with City Mattress, a regional sleep chain
headquartered in Bonita Springs, Fla. He held multiple
sales, marketing and executive posts there, including
executive vice president, chief operating officer and
president.
“We’re very excited about his appointment and
the hands-on expertise he brings,” said Dave Roberts,
Comfort Solutions president. “It’s extremely important
to understand today’s evolving retail environment.”
Industry veteran
Michael Pino dies
M
attress industry vetPino held a number of
eran Michael Pino,
leadership and committee
who had been battling
posts with the Internacancer, died June 22. He
tional Sleep Products
was 56.
Association, including
Pino spent more than
serving on the board
20 years in the mattress
(2004-08) and the Better
industry, the majority of it
Sleep Council (1997with Princeton, N.J.-based
2004).
licensing group TheraHe received his
pedic International. He
undergraduate degree
rose through the ranks at
from Rowan University
Michael Pino
Therapedic, serving in sevin Glassboro, N.J. After
eral top management posts, including
graduation, Pino taught high school,
president and director of international
before moving on to a job at an adveraffairs and specialty licensing.
tising agency and then to Therapedic.
In 2008, Pino founded his own
He was an avid professional sports
consulting group, specializing in
fan and a soccer coach for a recreinternational licensing partnerships,
ational league in his hometown of
sales strategies and marketing plans.
Hillsborough, N.J.
Clients included mattress maker NaSurvivors include his wife, Wendy;
tura World, where he held the title
son, Jonathan; two brothers; three
of international sales director, and
nieces; and a nephew.
licensing group Restonic.
In lieu of flowers, the family sug“Michael was a remarkable ambassagests a donation to the charity of your
dor for Natura in the international matchoice or to the Cancer Treatment
tress world,” said Ralph Rossdeutscher,
Centers of America via the nonprofit
president of Cambridge, Ontario-based
Gateway for Cancer Research.
Natura World. “He was also a good
A memorial guestbook and
friend and we will miss his sense of
video remembrance created by
humor, his willingness to be there for
the family can be accessed at
others and his ‘get it done’ attitude.”
www.lifecelebrationstudio.com.
Colgate Mattress patriarch Wolkin dies
Solomon Wolkin, founder of family-owned Colgate Mattress Atlanta Corp., a maker of crib
and juvenile mattresses, died June 23 following a short illness. He was 90.
Wolkin, and his wife, Anne, who preceded him in death, founded the
company in 1955 with a $1,500 loan. Their 4,000-square-foot factory grew
to become what is today a 60,000-square-foot facility in Atlanta.
Wolkin was a veteran of World War II, serving as an airplane mechanic in
the U.S. Army Air Corps, which later became the U.S. Air Force. The Georgia
House of Representatives recently honored Wolkin for his contributions to
the state as a long-time manufacturer and employer.
He is survived by two sons, Alan, president of Colgate Mattress, and
Richard, company vice president; daughter Joan; two grandsons, Dennis,
Colgate Mattress production manager, and Brent, company credit manager;
three granddaughters and four great-grandchildren. His great-grandchildren
all have appeared in the company’s print advertising campaigns.
Foam group
honors three
The Polyurethane Foam Association has
inducted James Hollars, Dennis
Peterson and Jerry Pool into its
Flexible Polyurethane Foam Hall
of Fame. The trade group, which
has headquarters in Loudon,
Tenn., celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.
Hollars was recognized for his
years of leadership in the industry.
He participated in the association’s formation and served two
terms as its president. The association called him an industry
champion and credited him with
helping to develop strategies to
improve the industry’s image. Hollars spent the majority of his career in molded foams at automotive industry supplier Lear Siegler,
later Lear Seating Corp.
Peterson was a principal founder and the first president of the
association. Under his leadership
(1980-81), the industry developed
proactive positions on flammability and addressed environmental
safety matters, according to the
association. Peterson rose through
the ranks at Future Foam—from
territory sales representative to
vice president of sales and marketing. After leaving Future Foam in
1991, he launched a scrap foam
recycling business.
Pool spent his career at a
number of foam manufacturers
and went on to form his own
consulting business focused on
compliance with environmental,
safety and health regulations;
polyurethane processes; and machinery technology. In the 1980s,
Pool’s collaboration with the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency
helped to eliminate CFCs as blowing agents in foam production.
That led to his later work with the
United Nations, the World Bank
and foreign governments to reduce
or eliminate CFCs in foam production around the world.
45
UpClose
Atlanta Attachment’s Price
is a master of reinvention
Company founder embraces ever-changing world
By Dorothy Whitcomb
E
lvin Price has never been afraid
of big dreams or hard work.
“When you’re raised in
Bishopville, S.C., there are not a lot
of opportunities,” he says. “You have
to learn how to be entrepreneurial in
order to survive.”
Price began working at age 12
and soon discovered his own entrepreneurial spirit. At 16, he was an
apprentice garment factory technician and by 23, a service technician
at Wilcox & Gibbs, a manufacturer
of sewing machines for the apparel
industry. By that time, “I had already
decided to go into business for myself,
but put my plans on hold to get more
experience,” Price says.
It didn’t take long to discover
where the next opportunity lay. During the 1960s, apparel manufacturers
were beleaguered by an increasingly
broad product range and evershortening lead times. And modifying
equipment to meet those requirements was beginning to overwhelm
established sewing machine manufacturers. Price saw an opening.
In 1969, he founded Atlanta Attachment Co., setting up shop in
the basement of his house to make
specialized sewing equipment.
“I had a wife, three kids and about
$100 from my last two paychecks” he
says. “That was the sum total of all the
money I had in the world.”
Price worked tirelessly by himself
for almost two years before renting a
building and hiring help. For 30 years,
dreaming big and working hard paid
significant dividends. Between 1969 and
1999, Atlanta Attachment grew at an
average annual rate of 36%, ultimately
posting $30 million in annual sales.
Things began to change in 1997,
when the effects of the North American Free Trade Agreement began to
take hold.
“The month after Fruit of the
Loom announced that it was moving production offshore, our sales
dropped by $1 million,” Price recalls.
“All of our customers stopped buying
and started making plans to move offshore, too. It was like falling off a cliff.”
At about that same time, mattress
major Sealy recruited Atlanta Attachment to build several automated
workstations. Price knew little about
the bedding industry but saw opportunity, believing “the industry was
underserved in terms of the level of
sophistication of its equipment.”
Still, Price was at a crossroads.
With annual sales in 2000 down by
almost two-thirds, he considered closing the company.
“Instead, I decided to do it all over
again and went back to working umpteen hours a day,” he says.
Atlanta Attachment began building machinery on spec for what Price
describes as “a skeptical bedding
industry.” But by 2008, the company
was again posting $30 million in an-
➤ Bio in brief
Name Elvin Price
Age 71
Company Atlanta Attachment Co.
Title Founder & chairman
Location Lawrenceville, Ga.
Family Price and his wife, Janet,
have been married for 25 years.
They have six adult sons in their
blended family.
On the road again When not working, Elvin
Price likes getting out on the open road,
seeing the sights in his motor home or on his
motorcycle.
nual sales, 70% of which came from
mattress machinery.
And then, in 2007, the Great Recession hit.
“Sales nose-dived again,” Price says.
“We went from 170 employees to 90.”
Throughout the layoffs, Price kept
the company’s research and development department intact. With
engineers working six days a week,
the company was able to show 14
new machines at ISPA EXPO 2010 in
Charlotte, N.C., in March.
Ambitious goals and drive have
once again made the difference for
Price.
He says the company is “geared for
the future” and expects 2010 sales to
be back to the $30 million mark.
“It’s an ever-changing world and I
like that,” Price says. “Change is where
your opportunities are.”
Building better lives To understand
Price, it’s important to understand
how he conceptualizes his company.
“Atlanta Attachment is seen as a
machinery manufacturer and that’s
not what we are. We make wonderful
equipment, but that’s not our endproduct. The people are our endproduct. (The company) is a vehicle
so that people can have wonderful
lives—me included,” he says. “I started
with nothing. I think that it’s important to share success with the people
who made that success for you.”
Aid through aviation For 35 years,
Price has been volunteering with
Angel Flight, a nonprofit group of
private pilots who fly sick and injured
children to hospitals to receive care.
‘When you’re raised
in Bishopville, S.C.,
there are not a lot
of opportunities.
You have to
learn how to be
entrepreneurial in
order to survive.’
Jim Loewen, Atlanta Attachment’s
corporate pilot, participates in Angel
Flight, as well. Together, Price and
Loewen average about eight flights
a year, shuttling children and their
families to Cincinnati for treatment at
the Shriners Hospitals for Children.
King of the Kindle Price reads 50 to
60 books a year, mostly nonfiction.
He’s particularly interested in history
and in biographies of people who
have overcome obstacles to become
successful. “It reinforces in me that
you don’t have to have all the resources you think you do in order to
be successful,” he says.
The open road Price and his wife,
Janet, enjoy exploring the country in
their motor home. They take their
time, checking the Internet for points
of interest along the way. “I’ve been
riding motorcycles since I was a
teenager and there’s a lift on the motor
home for my Harley,” he says. “You feel
involved with the journey and part of
the countryside on a motorcycle.” BT
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Sewing Threads and Bedding Textiles
www.alavason.com
Customerservice@alavason.com
Ph: (800) 777-5282
Fax: (773) 254-0800
47
Calendar
2010
August
Aug. 2-6
Las Vegas Market
World Market Center
Las Vegas, U.S.
Phone 888-416-8600
info@lasvegas
market.com
www.lasvegas
market.com
Aug. 20-22
Tupelo Furniture
Market
Mississippi & Tupelo
complexes
Tupelo, Miss., U.S.
Phone 662-842-4442
tfm@tupelofurniture
market.com
www.tupelofurniture
market.com
September
Sept. 1-5
Habitare
Helsinki Exhibition &
Convention Centre
Helsinki, Finland
Phone 358-9-150-91
info@finnexpo.fi
www.finnexpo.fi
Sept. 3-5
Perfect Home &
Interior
Warsaw Centre
EXPO XXI
Warsaw, Poland
Phone 48-22-649-76-69
trade@perfecthome.pl
www.perfecthome.pl
Sept. 3-6
China International
Furniture Fair
China Import &
Export Fair Complex
Guangzhou, China
Phone 86-20-2608-0427
ciff@fairwindow.com.cn
www.ciff-gz.com
Sept. 16-19
ZOW Istanbul:
International
Exhibition of
Components &
Accessories for the
Furniture Industry
Instanbul Expo Center
Istanbul, Turkey
Phone 90-212-3249610
info@zow.com.tr
www.zow.com.tr
October
Oct. 16-21
High Point Market
International Home
Furnishings Center &
other locations
High Point, N.C., U.S.
Phone 336-869-1000
dawn@highpoint
market.org
www.highpoint
market.org
2011
January
Jan. 24-28
Las Vegas Market
World Market Center
Las Vegas, U.S.
Phone 888-416-8600
info@lasvegas
market.com
www.lasvegas
market.com
March
March 16-18
➤ISPA Industry
Conference
& Exhibition
Vinoy Renaissance
St. Petersburg Resort
& Golf Club
St. Petersburg, Fla., U.S.
Phone 703-683-8371
clyons@sleep
products.org
www.sleepproducts.org
Perfect Home & Interior The show will be
Sept. 3-5 in Warsaw, Poland.
ISPANews/Advocacy
ISPA helps improve N.Y. bedbug law
T
he International Sleep Products
Association recently won a victory
for mattress retailers in New York. In
an effort to control increasing bedbug
infestations, state lawmakers had been
considering a bill that would have
prohibited new and used mattresses
from being transported, stored or sold
together unless the used mattresses
have been sanitized.
ISPA argued that this provision
would substantially increase retailers’
delivery costs because they would be
forced to use separate trucks to deliver
new mattresses and pick up used ones.
The association worked with
legislators to amend the final bill to
allow used mattresses to be transported on the same truck with new
mattresses, if the used products are
placed in protective covering such as
plastic wrap. It’s likely that packaging
materials from the new mattress will
be used to remove and transport the
old mattress.
Both chambers of the New York
Advocacy Shorts
ASTM crib subcommittee seeks members
The International Sleep Products Association is working with crib mattress
manufacturers to develop a safety standard. The initiative comes in response to
efforts by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to set new safety standards for cribs and crib mattresses. ISPA has initiated work through ASTM International, a standards development body, to create an initial standard and ASTM
has set up a subcommittee for the task. ISPA encourages its members who are
also ASTM members to join the subcommittee. For more information, check the
ASTM’s Web site (www.astm.org) or contact Chris Hudgins, ISPA vice president
of government relations, at chudgins@sleepproducts.org or 703-683-8371.
Calif. extended producer responsibility bill fails
A bill that would have established an extended producer responsibility system
in California recently failed to pass in the legislature. The bill would have held
manufacturers responsible for disposing of their products at the end of the product’s useful life and would have allowed the state to mandate that specific industries set up product collection, recycling or disposal systems. Under the bill,
manufacturers would have had to bear the cost of the programs. Though the bill
failed, similar bills are expected to return for consideration in future sessions.
Industry urges Texas to amend bedding law
International Sleep Products Association President Ryan Trainer and mattress
maker Carroll Moran recently testified before the Committee on Environmental
Regulation in the Texas House of Representatives, describing obstacles that industry recyclers face when trying to expand their businesses. Moran is chief executive officer of Corsicana Bedding and Sleepinc and owner of Dream Green
Recycling, a mattress recycling center in Texas. Suggestions included amending
the state’s bedding law to permit mattress producers to use a “new materials”
law label on mattresses that contain new components made from used mattress materials, provided that the manufacturing process used to make the new
components results in a clean, hygienic product. The committee also was asked
to support increased regulation of unscrupulous mattress renovators. To read a
copy of ISPA’s written testimony, check www.sleepproducts.org.
legislature passed the bill as amended
in mid-June and sent it to the governor for his signature.
“The change should advance lawmakers’ goal of controlling the spread
of bedbugs without imposing significant new costs on retailers,” said Ryan
Trainer, ISPA president. “The change
is important not only for retailers in
New York. The new law provides a
common-sense model for other states
that want to regulate how old mattresses are handled.”
ISPA Industry
Conference set
for March
The 2011 ISPA Industry
Conference and Exhibition
will be March 16-18
at the Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg
Resort & Golf Club in
St. Petersburg, Fla.
The event, which
had been held in November in recent years,
is following a new
schedule: March in
odd-numbered years, alternating with
ISPA EXPO in even-numbered years.
The Industry Conference and
Exhibition, an all-industry event for
manufacturers, retailers and suppliers, features educational seminars
on key issues, as well as a focused
exhibit floor showcasing products
and services. Hear the latest news
on issues impacting the bedding
industry while building valuable
personal relationships with colleagues from around the world.
For more information, check
www.sleepproducts.org.
49
AdvertisersIndex
A. Lava & Son Co.
Steve Appelbaum
800-777-5282
(800-777-LAVA)
www.alavason.com
47
Enriquez Materials & Quilting Inc
Silvia Enriquez
323-725-4955
www.enriquezquilting.com
11
AFT Corp.
Rick Brumfield
800-631-1930
21
Ergomotion
Kelly Clenet
805-688-3151
www.ergomotion.us
23
Flexible Foam Products Inc.
Michael Crowell
419-647-4191
www.flexiblefoam.com
25
Global Systems Group
Russ Bowman
954-846-0300
www.gsgcompanies.com
C3
Hengchang Machinery Factory
Ren Ying
86-769-83307931
www.hcjixie.com
33
Atlanta Attachment C2-1, 29
Co. Inc.
Hank Little
770-963-7369
www.atlatt.com
Bloomingburg Spring 51
& Wire Form
Vickie Schwarm
740-437-7614
www.bloomingburgspring.com
BLR
Martin Leroux
819-877-2092
www.blrlumber.com
Boyteks Tekstil AS
M. Nebi Dogan
90-533-685-6041
www.boyteks.com
35
16-17
BRK Group
Jeff Miller
562-949-4394
www.brk-group.com
38
CT Nassau Taber Wood
800-397-0090
www.ctnassau.com
13
Diamond Needle Corp.
Abe Silberstein
800-221-5818
www.diamondneedle.com
51
Hickory Springs Mfg. Co.
Rick Anthony
828-328-2201
www.hickorysprings.com
2
John Marshall & Co. Ltd.
Peter Crone
64-3-341-2004
www.joma.co.nz
8
Kenn Spinrad Inc.
Randy Weinstock
800-373-0944
www.spinrad.net
39
Latex International
Kevin Stein
203-924-0700, Ext. 347
www.latexintl.com
15
Latex Systems Kitti Charoenpornpanichkul
66-2-326-0886, Ext. 204
www.latexsystems.com
30
Middleburg Yarn Processing Co. Inc.
Howard Reese
570-374-1284, Ext. 210
36
New England Needles Inc.
Thomas Lees
800-243-3158
www.newenglandneedles.com
14
Pacific Spring Inc.
Victor Nguyen
626-272-8882
39
P.T. RubberFoam Indonesia
Andreas Janssen
62-21-53662190
www.rubberfoam.co.id
28
Quilting Inc.
Mark Gibney
800-358-0153
www.quiltinginc.com
48
SABA North America LLC
Jim Turner
810-824-4964
www.saba-adhesives.com
4
Simalfa
Darren Gilmore
973-423-9266
www.simalfa.com
26
Subiñas Confort S.L.
Javier Subiñas
34-94-416-04-40
www.subinas.es
34
Therapedic International Gerry Borreggine
800-314-4433
www.therapedic.com
Tietex International Ltd.
Wade Wallace
800-843-8390
www.tietex.com
6
C4
Classifieds
For Sale
TAPE-EDGE MACHINES, MULTINEEDLE AND SINGLENEEDLE QUILTERS, long-arm label machines, sergers, etc.
Contact Victor LeBron, American Plant and Equipment.
Phone 864-574-0404; Fax 864-576-7204;
Cell 864-590-1700; Email apesales@charterinternet.com;
Web www.americanplantandequipment.com.
REBUILT AND RECONDITIONED MULTINEEDLE
QUILTING MACHINES. Specializing in PATHE precision
parts and service. Technical consultants. SEDCO. Phone 201-567-7141; Fax 201-567-5515.
TAPE-EDGE MACHINES, QUILTERS AND
MISCELLANEOUS SEWING MACHINES. Contact
Frank Carlino, U.S. Mattress Machinery. Phone 815-795-6942; Fax 815-795-2178; Email usmattmach@hotmail.com.
For Sale
Large quantities of both Damask and knitted mattress ticking. Closeouts available at cheap prices.
Contact George Hart, OHCO Inc., 4158 Robinson St.,
Covington, GA 30014. Phone 770-786-4887;
Email gwhart@ohcoinc.com.
Place your classified ad today!
Reach mattress industry professionals around the world
with your advertising message through the BedTimes
Classifieds. Rates: $3 per word for the first 100 words
and $2.50 thereafter; minimum charge of $75. “Blind”
box number: $50 per insertion. Ad copy and payment
must be received by the first of the month preceding
publication. Send ads and payment to BedTimes Classifieds, 501 Wythe St., Alexandria, VA 22314-1917. Contact Debbie Robbins, advertising production manager,
for additional information. Phone 336-342-4217; Fax
336-342-4116; Email drobbins@sleepproducts.org.
51
TheLastWord
Study: Migraines
tied to irregular
sleeping habits
A lack of sleep or poor sleep
quality can cause migraines or
increase their frequency, according to new research.
Researchers at Missouri State
University found that rats who
don’t get enough REM sleep
secret low levels of proteins that
dampen the nervous system and
high levels of proteins that arouse
it. One group of rats in the study
wasn’t allowed REM sleep for
three consecutive nights; another
group rested normally.
About 36 million Americans
suffer from migraine headaches,
most having a couple of attacks
a month. Getting enough sleep
is important for people with
migraines, but so is not sleeping
too much, American Headache
Society President Dr. David Dodick told WebMD Health News.
“That’s why ‘Saturday morning’ migraines are so common,”
he says. “If someone with
migraines who gets up during the
week at 6 a.m. sleeps in on Saturday, this can cause a migraine.
Sleep routine is very important.
People with migraines need to
go to bed at the same time and
wake up at the same time every
day.”
Happy cities, happy workers
S
killed, talented workers are drawn to cities that provide a good quality of life.
So what’s the best metro area? Raleigh, N.C., according to a study from
Portfolio.com, a business site for small and mid-size businesses.
The study compared the performances of the 67 largest metropolitan areas in
20 statistical categories.
“The highest scores went to well-rounded markets with healthy economies,
moderate costs of living, light traffic, impressive housing stocks and high-powered
educational systems,” Portfolio.com says.
The top 10
1. Raleigh, N.C.
2. Washington, D.C.
3. Minneapolis-St. Paul
4. Bridgeport-Stamford, Conn.
5. Salt Lake City
6. Denver
7. Seattle
8. Boston
9. Austin, Texas
10. San Jose, Calif.
Here’s your sign
One issue that continues to befuddle the mattress
industry is how best to discuss body impressions with consumers. Buddy Delaney, president of Best Mattress, a factory-direct based in
Columbia, S.C., decided on a blunt approach.
He has posted three clear, direct signs in the
Best Mattress showroom and added similar,
smaller labels to mattresses. “Some of my
friends in the mattress business thought I was
crazy to put them up,” he says.
If Delaney’s name sounds familiar, you
might have heard him on National Public
Radio’s “All Things Considered” news program. He talked about how his
family business has weathered the recession during a segment that aired
May 26. You can read the transcript at www.npr.org/templates/story/story.
php?storyId=127140663.
Quotable
“The worst thing in the world
is to try to sleep and not to.”
— F. Scott Fitzgerald
DOES THE QUALITY OF
YOUR LABEL OPERATION
REFLECT THE QUALITY
OF YOUR BED?
Your mattress label may be a
customer’s first impression of the
quality of your bed, your reputation!
Is the stitching straight?
Is it properly aligned?
Is it really good enough?
Affordable automation, priceless quality!
The PALS 2000 Automatic Border Label
Machine is a programmable label-sewing
machine that performs perfect stitching
on labels of almost any shape.
Spacing and sew lines are always
consistent while the operator is free to
multi-task on other work as the PALS 2000
sews on the label.
Restoring your brand
reputation can be expensive,
but the PALS 2000 isn’t.
It’s the most affordable
automatic label machine
Porter has ever made.
PALS 2000
Automatic Border Label Machine
If you value your company’s image, ask your GSG rep about the
affordable PALS 2000 Automatic Border Label Machine.
800-326-4742
954-846-0300
www.GSGCompanies.com
• High-speed zig-zag or straight stitch
• Up to 500 labels per shift
• Secure pneumatic clip holds label
• De-skills labor
• Automation allows for multi-tasking
• Satisfies all safety codes
eco fabrics
cottons
prints
jacquards
Our world wasn’t created in black and white.
polyesters
MATTRESS SOLUTIONS
blends
stitchbonds
warp knits
filler cloths.
Tietex International Ltd., 3010 North Blackstock Rd., Spartanburg, SC 29301, Ph. 864.574.0500, Fax 864.574.9490, www.tietex.com

BedTmes Magazine August 2010

Transcription

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